Time Standing Still
by lielabell
Summary: First in as yet untitled arc that is home to Moving Through a Mirror Clear and Every Story Has Two Sides. Explains how Ginny and Draco started out and gives much needed background.
1. First Year

First Year

Draco had it bad. He had spent the better part of his second years focused on a little red headed witch with second hand robes and childish braids. She was a little bit of nothing, common looking with more freckles then she had right to, yet there was something intriguing about her. Almost as if behind the dirt on her innocent face lurked something sinister. For nearly eight months he had watched her and still he could find no answer to the questions she presented.

He knew that he tended to become engrossed in things he could not easily put into a neat little box and so it did not surprise him how often she was in his thoughts. Still he did not like the way she dominated them. Draco was falling farther into this obsession then he had ever been in one before and the need to end it was drumming itself into his brain. The only way he knew of to do so was to sample what delights she might possess. Nothing eased his interest faster than a love struck chit dogging his steps and lisping lies of unending love. And that was always the end result of the Malfoy heir dallying with an unsuitable female.

He had been toying with the idea of what it would be like to bed her since he first saw her standing in Perfect Potter's wake and with the recent decision to take action he set about learning her routine. He had not been as successful as he would have hoped to be, there were hours unaccounted for that not even his best spells could shed light on, but he knew enough to know that she would be passing by this very stairwell in less then ten minuets.

Draco stood in the shadows and waited. It was the fifth time this week that he had done so and he was determined that this time he would succeed. Yesterday she had been surrounded by a group of giggling girls but he was sure today that would not be the case, even though there was no reason for him to think this other than his own unswerving belief that when he wanted something bad enough the world obliged.

His active mind was beginning to become bored and so he pictured her big brown eyes and pert nose as he pressed his back into the cool stones of the wall. His mouth quirked as he tried to pin down just what it was about her that drew him but all he could think of was that bubblegum mouth of hers. His eyes went smoky as he remembered the way she had pressed a blood red nail to her lower lip while deep in thought last Thursday during dinner.

He stiffened as he heard footsteps and groaned as the sound veered off to the left. He was not patient by nature and the last week had been trying in ways he never would have thought possible. There had never been a time in his life before this were what he wanted had not wrapped itself in a bow and gifted itself to him. Yes there had been times when he had to stalk his prey, but as soon as the girl in question recognized his interest the game was over.

If she had followed that pattern he would not be cooling his heals in a remote hallway in hopes of catching her unaware. But she had not. Instead of batting her eyelashes at him when she noticed his stare she would smirk at him as if she knew all his secrets. To make matters worst were her any thing but girlish whispers. Any time he was within ear shot of her she would angle herself so that she was behind him then say in that mocking voice of hers 'what you want belongs to another' then she would laugh and wander away before he could think to reply.

But tonight it would be different. Tonight he would hold her at his mercy and all her cryptic signals would be explained.

He heard footsteps again and knew they were hers. He smiled to himself before shooting his hand into the open and dragging her back with it into the shadows. He pulled her close to him and lost himself in her eyes. Before he knew what he was doing his mouth was on hers and her tongue was wreaking havoc on his senses.

}}

Ginny felt the heat coming off of the boy's body and rational thought slammed back into her brain. Blessed Hell!She thought to herself as she scrambled to break the stranger's embrace. One minuet she had been studying diligently in her room and the next she was in a vaguely familiar hallway being snogged senseless by... well she wasn't all to sure who by.

She felt his arms loosen and jerked away from him. The lighting was so poor that she still could not make out his face. Ginny thought about leaving it well enough alone, just walking away and letting this become yet another foggy memory, but something inside her refused to let her do so. Instead she whipped out her wand and said 'lumos' with a less than confident air. She was rewarded with a string of curses as the small but powerful beam of light temporally blinded her assailant. She bit her lip in confusion as his identify was revealed.

"Draco bloody Malfoy? You have got to be joking." She lowered her wand and snickered softly. "Did you mistake me for someone else then?"

"Pardon?" Draco quickly recovered and hid his embarrassment over her comment by straightening his robes.

"I was just wondering why a paragon of pureblood virtues such as yourself would ruin his track record by kissing a Weasley."

And then she knew. Ginny thought of all the reasons the son of the man who introduced her to Tom might have for kissing her and shuddered. She lowered her eyes in fear to study her nails and the color had graced them since that first terrible message. The dried chicken blood had left stains she couldn't remove and so she had decided to cover up the tell tail markings with a shade that matched them exactly.

Draco saw the fear flash in her eyes and pondered what it could mean. There was defiantly more to this girl then met the eye and he found his intrigue for her growing. He bit out another curse then shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing her and finding out if a second kiss would be as entrancing as the first had been. He looked her up and down then sneered hoping that his emotions would not show.

"Incapable of speech Malfoy? What a shame. You won't get very far as a Death Eater without being to hurl a good Crucio now will you?"

His eyes flew to her face in astonishment at the causal mocking in her tone. The Unforgivables were not a part of daily conversation in any level of society and were considered one of the strongest taboos in the one she came from. He stared at her for a long moment while his brain tried to make sense of how this information fit with what else he knew about her.

"Well if all you are going to do is leer at me then I had best be on my way. I am sure I had a very good reason for being down here so if you will just excuse me."

She made as if to push past him and Draco reacted without thought. He caught her arm and pulled her back to him. His other arm circled her waist and he watched her eyes darken as his mouth slowly angled itself towards hers. His breath hitched as she parted her lips in what he took as a blatant invitation. Then she spoke and the spell was broken.

"What you want belongs to another."

He pulled back to arm length from her and studied the madness in her eyes. She had said the words with no whisper to mask the harsh sound of it. Her head lolled to one side and the vacant expression on her face made his heart race.

"You know nothing of my wants." He attempted to sound authoritative but failed miserably. The girl in his arms laughed wildly and focused her haunted gazed on him.

"I know more about you than you think child of the Malfoy. I can feel your lust through your hands and see your desire in your eyes. But she is not for you. This body has been marked mine and you have not the power to take it from me."

Draco did not know who was speaking but it was not her.

"I want her." He said forcefully. "What I want I get. I do not let others take what is mine and whoever you are you will not have her for long." He emphasized his words with a sharp shake then he followed up his claim with a dominating kiss. Half way through it he felt her body relax and knew that the spirit which possessed her had left.

"Blessed hell!" Ginny shoved Draco away and shook her head in disgust. "What is it with boys? One minuet I am little old Ginny Weasley barely noticed and happy that way and the next I have boy after boy dragging me into dark corners to kiss me." She glared at Draco and crossed her arms protectively in front of her chest.

"Which other boys have been kissing you Miss. Weasley?"

The question was deadly and Ginny felt herself flinch away from it. His words too closely mirrored the ones that Tom had so softly asked after she dutifully reported her first kiss.

Draco saw her withdraw deep inside herself and puzzled over what could have made her do so. He cupped her chin and raised her frighten eyes to his own. He watched as the panic in them turned to anger and smiled for the first time that day. His grip tightened as he leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"You are mine Weasel." He pulled back to gage her reaction. Whatever he was expecting it was not the carefree laughter that filled the empty hall.

"Yours? Don't be absurd. You should know better than others who I belong to." She placed a mocking smile on her lips before saying "Should I tell you what I told Neville? Would it help if I said I loved someone else?"

"Hero worship does not equate love."

"Are all you boys so very clueless? I don't love Harry. I don't really even like him very much. Before you bring up that singing Valentine why don't you try and think of why I might be so obvious about my so called crush."

Draco just looked at her. He had no idea what she was alluding to. He had seen nothing but the surface of her actions while he watched her mistakenly believing that the girl was as innocent as she appeared.

"Even you cannot be that dense Malfoy. You just talked to him. Remember now?"

"You are in love with the spirit possessing you?"

"Wrong again. Good lord but you are slow. No wonder you don't have yours yet." Ginny sighed and ran a hand through her tangled hair. "I never said I loved him. I said I belong to him. I may not be a willing participant in the game, but then very few of the players are."

"That sounds suspiciously like Death Eater talk Weasel."

"You are even farther out of the loop than I thought. Do you even know who Tom Marvolo Riddle is? Or is that classified knowledge that junior Death Eaters don't learn till they receive their mark?" Her lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "Hell, if I was Voldemort that's how I would run things. Wouldn't want my questionable past to be known by my followers until it was too late for them to change their mind."

Draco did not want to admit that he did not understand half of the things she was talking about and so he decided to go with the typical route. He would sneer at her and demand proof before talking to her about things that good little witches should know nothing about. He opened his mouth to do just that but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Don't try it Malfoy. I know ten times more than most Death Eaters do. You see, I have an inside connection. I don't think that your Daddy realized how very talkative Mr. Riddle is. For the first few months he only told me what I wanted to hear but since December he hasn't so much as stopped for breath. But then I guess he doesn't need to does he."

The bitterness behind the words was undeniable.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her before grabbing her left arm tightly. She laughed as he pushed up her sleeve and examine her arm. He peered at the tender white flesh and felt relief bubble through him when no sign of the dark mark or a spell to hide could be seen. She laughed again and threw back her hair.

"Better wizards than you have been fooled by that arm."

She shook free from his grasp and tugged her wand from her pocket. She pointed it at her bare arm and slowly peeled away layer after layer of complex glamour spells. When she was done it looked like someone had traced the outline of the dark mark into her skin with a blunt quill. The lines were thick but blurry and the greenish black ink shimmered with magic.

"What the hell is that?" Draco said before he thought better of it. "I mean, everyone knows what the dark mark is meant to look like and it isn't that!"

"Everyone you say? I had no idea what one looked like till Tom showed me." Her eyes locked with his for a second then she lowered her head again and ran a finger along the pattern on her arm. "Besides, I did not except the mark willingly. He placed it on me. The more I used the book the darker it got. When I finally understood what was going on I tossed the thrice damned thing into the loo. But Harry couldn't leave well enough alone now could he. Prat."

Draco choked on his laughter and ended up sputtering indignantly. Ginny huffed then thought better of being angry and joined him in his mirth.

"I guess when you think about it it is pretty amusing. I don't even want to know why he was in the girl's lav to start with."

"Yet another reason to love you little Weasel."

He knew it was the wrong thing to say the second it left his mouth. He saw her bristle, the companionship of the last few minuets a thing of the past.

"Don't be a fool Malfoy. I told you I belong to him and his plans for me don't involve being alive to see the next term."

She pointed her wand at her arm again and murmured something to soft for him to hear. Within seconds her arm was flawless and she rolled her sleeve back down. She stepped away from him and shivered slightly.

"I won't pretend like I know what is going on with you Weasel but I want you to know that I am here for you to talk to. If you make it to next year or not will depend on how well you plan. The future is not predetermined girl. Remember that." He reached out and tugged on a curl.

She smiled up at him then leaned in and quickly kissed him. She licked her lips as she pulled back. Then she was gone.

}}

Draco slumped against the wall staring at the spot she had stood in only moments before. He was a strong man and strong men could admit when they were wrong. He should never have taken the next step. He should have let his desire to touch her go unfulfilled and let everything about her remain a mystery. But he hadn't and now he was even more tangled in the web that was Ginny Weasley.


	2. Second Year

Second Year  
  
Malfoy,  
  
It seems I am going to take you up on your offer. I never thought I would be confiding in you but since my own family has decided I have the mental capacity of a toddler it would appear that I have no choice. No, they don't blame me. I wish that they would. Instead they walk on egg shells around me and send me pitying looks when they think I cannot see.  
  
Poor stupid Ginny got sucked into Tommy's world because of her innocent ramblings about her crush.  
  
Give me a break. Are they all that stupid? Did each and every one of them buy into the lies that Tom feed Harry? Does it make them feel better if they pretend that I was helpless, that I had no choice about what was going on?  
  
Is that how you see me?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Where is the nasty little girl I am so found of? Pull yourself together. I did not tell you that you could write me so I could feed into your pity party.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
So glad that I have a friend like you to help me in my time of need.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Glad to be of service.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
What sort of service do you think you are giving me again?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
The type that leaves you begging for more.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Think highly of yourself don't you?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
It's not bragging if it's true.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Did I say anything about bragging? No that was all you.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Feel free to come in for a test ride any time you want.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
In your dreams. Does it seem odd to you that we are sending one line owls?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
No.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Prat.  
  
Ginny

* * *

Malfoy,  
  
Have I told you how much Harry reminds me of Tom? I have been staring at him for the past hour and a half because of it. The hair, the eyes, even the bloody smile. Pure Tom. Do you think that one of his parents was related to the Heir?  
  
Dear God, he just caught me looking at him and blushed.  
  
Now he is whispering to Ron and the pair of them are sending befuddled glances my way. Just what I needed. Looks like I am going to have yet another year of the Trio treating me like a little lost puppy dog.  
  
If I batted my big brown eyes at you would your face get red?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Why do you insist on telling me about your obsession with Potter? He is an ugly git and that is all I will say on the matter. If he resembles the Dark Lord then I do not know how I am going to be able to take my mark.  
  
As for the big brown eyes, surely you jest.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Why are we owling each other like this? Do you realize how sad it is that I sit in the Great Hall every morning waiting for your owl to drop a packet of letters in my plate while you do the same? Wouldn't it just be easier if we talked face to face?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
In order to do that I would have to look at you.  
  
So what was all the ruckus at your table about? Don't try lie to me, even on paper you are terrible at it.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Sod off.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Not into buggery.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Good to know. The fuss was over Black. I think Harry would fade away if he didn't have some crazed maniac or another after him. Do you think that scar left brain damage?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
What's with all the hostility? I thought you and Potter were on friendly terms.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Friendly is in the eye of the beholder.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Are we back to one liners again?  
  
I got into a row with your dreamboat last night. He and that git you call a brother were walking with the mudblood and it was more than I could take. I might have let a few things about Black slip out. I hope that doesn't blow whatever it is that you were nattering on about last month.  
  
On second thought, I hope it does. You should know by now what I think of your pitiful excuse for a family.  
  
I enclosed those photos I told you about. Tell me what you think of them next time you write.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Too funny! I cannot believe you got a shot of Pansy sleeping. The things that girl says in her sleep are to die for. The pictures almost make me want to forgive you for those nasty things you said about my family. Mind your tongue or you will have to find some other girl to pester with your owls.  
  
Ginny  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Heard you had a run in with Ron and Hermione last weekend. Anything you want to tell me about?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Stuff it.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
What, no confessions to make? Fine, be like that. Now I won't tell you the name of the boy I just added to my long list of conquests.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
You better be joking. You know you belong to me.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Last time I looked I still had a mark on my arm that proves otherwise. It might be faded but it is still there so your claims aren't worth the paper you wrote them on.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
That's it; I want to see your arm again. Meet me tonight. You know when and where.  
  
D M  
  
Gin,  
  
I cannot believe you did not show. Since when have you become a wallflower?  
  
D M  
  
Gin,  
  
Are you still alive? I can see you sitting next to Potter in the Great Hall while I write this, but your head is bowed and you haven't touched your plate. What the hell is going on?  
  
D M  
  
Gin,  
  
This is not funny wench.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Go away. I am rather busy at the moment and don't have time to deal with you right now.  
  
Ginny

* * *

Malfoy,  
  
I can explain everything. Would you like to hear my excuses or not?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Two months of silence and you think you can just… Bloody hell Gin! What happened?  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Would a kiss make it all better? If so come to the pitch right after you get out of Potions on the marrow.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
You have been practicing. I had better never find out whom with or that poor wizard will never be able to reproduce.  
  
All is forgiven but not forgotten. Don't think you can pull another stunt like that.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,You never forget a thing.  
  
Do you really thing that in time my mark will become so faded that it disappears? You have no idea how lovely that would be. I waist so much energy keeping all those glamour spells going. Think of what I could do if just about half of my magic wasn't being sucked away from me.  
  
Oh the hexes I could throw.  
  
As for who I have been kissing, well a clever boy would know how to find out.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Are you saying I am not clever? You are braver than I had thought.  
  
I am not sure about the mark ever disappearing. I think it will fade to a thin white scar similar to the one that Scarhead is so very fond of. You should know by now that the taint of dark magic never fully leaves the body.  
  
I don't even want to think of how much damage you could do if you no longer had to feed those leeches you call spells. My father picked you to host the Dark Lord because of the enormous amount of raw magic you have. I don't think you would have made it out of the Chamber alive if not for that fact.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Why do you insist on calling Tommy the Dark Lord? He is just a silly little boy who likes to blame others for his failings. I fail to see why you are so willing to sell your soul to a mudblood crybaby like him.  
  
Before you get up in arms and start railing about Gryffindors let me tell you some of the things your dearest Lord told me.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
All right spill it. But I want to see you in person while you do. The lake an hour before dinner.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Have you given thought to what I told you?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
It was all very interesting. I am not sure as to which way I want to go now. Following, what was it that you called him?, 'a mudblood crybaby' doesn't appeal to me in the least but neither does the idea of jumping in line with Dumbledore and playing nice with the trifling trio.  
  
Give me a decent third option to take and you best believe that I will.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
Can't stand the thought of playing second fiddle to Harry can you?  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
Damn right.  
  
D M

* * *

Malfoy,  
  
End of the year already. Can you believe it? I don't think I will be able to write you as much this summer as I did last. Prying eyes are much more in tune with what I am doing since the incident that caused the two months of silence you are still going on about.  
  
Yes, I remember what you said about making sure I transfigure your letters the second I finish them and no I am not going to burn them the way you told me to. I still don't see what the big fuss was about. Stupid Hermione.  
  
Ginny  
  
Gin,  
  
What is this nonsense about not writing me? You know you will never make it through the summer without having me to pour your tails of woe out to.  
  
D M  
  
Malfoy,  
  
How many times do I have to tell you this?  
  
Sod of!  
  
Ginny 


	3. Third Year

Third Year

Draco glared over the rim of his cup of chocolate at the red haired figured curled up in the arm of the chair directly across from him. His not quite girlfriend had been hiding behind enormous tomes all afternoon and muttering strange things about different cuts and likely fabrics. He was more than a little disgruntled by the this seeing as how just last week they had a lively discussion about the upcoming Yule Ball that had ended in him smashing a vase and her raising an eyebrow in a manner that was defiantly not typically Weasley.

"I told you I am not taking you to that thrice damned dance!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and set down the book of patterns she had been flipping through. She eyed him wearily then stood and tugged at the hem of her skirt. She really did not want to repeat the argument they had been having on and off for the last month but she could see no way around it.

"I know."

She walked up to were he lay enthroned on his bed and placed an attentive hand on his leg. She smiled coyly at him, reached up and pulled the quill holding her hair in place out. Her long red hair came tumbling down her back as she crawled up the bed towards him. She lowered her body to his and pressed hot kisses up the side of his neck.

"Then why are you still pouring over those books?"

There was a sneer in his voice that set her teeth on edge. She breathed deeply and counted to fifteen.

"Because I am going with Neville." She watched she his jaw tightened. He opened his mouth to say something scathing but she stopped him with a raised hand. "We have been over this far too many times and I had hoped you had realized that I am not going to give in to your demands."

Again she tried to distract him, sucking him into a mind blowing kiss. She pulled back from him and set about loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her hands over his newly exposed chest and laughed at the strangled sound he made as her fingernails circled his nipples.

She smiled again, certain that the things she was doing to his body would keep his mind from thinking and his mouth from saying all the things she didn't want to hear. So certain was she that when he did speak it angered her far more than it normally would have.

"You are not going with that prat." He snarled at her.

"I am not being escorted by you; I am not having a temper over Pansy; and I am certainly not running about trying to rule your life. So why in the world do you insist on doing so to me?"

Draco lounged on a pillow and smirked. The frustration in her voice had not gone unnoticed. She wanted him to give in, to let her spend the night on the arm of the biggest flobberworm he had even met, and she wanted it now. There was nothing more intriguing to him then to see her in the process of slowly building to rage. He remained quiet, letting the silence drag out between them.

"Fine." She said after a twenty minuet staring match. "Just see where that sort of attitude gets you."

Ginny jumped up from between his legs and whirled about reaching for her wand. A quick spell later all her books were in her bag and her robe was back on. She picked up her tie and her fingers fastened the knot faster then he had ever seen them do it before. When she was finished dressing she stalked over to the bed and stood fiery eyed before him.

"I am not coming here again until you change your stance Malfoy. I told you at the start of this that I was not yours to control and that still holds true today."

He frowned at the strength in her voice. She turned to leave but he was off of the bed and pressing her back into the door before she knew what had happened. His eyes peered into hers as his grip tightened.

"I don't fancy fucking in the halls love." His word were a velvet covered fist, his breath came hot on her cheeks.

"Ah, now that would be cutting if you and I were actually having sex." Ginny blew a strand of hair out of her eyes then continued. "But since we aren't... Well let's just say that not snogging you won't be that big of a sacrifice."

She leaned her head against the varnished oak of the door and smiled cattily at him. Then she made her eyes go wide and innocent as she snuck her hand between his legs and cupped him gently.

"Poor Draco, all ready with no where to go."

Draco closed his eyes and groaned as she squeezed. He wanted her more than he was willing to admit and did not care one bit for the cavalier way she treated that want. His grip on her arms loosened and then fell away as he leaned in to softly kiss her lips. When he broke the kiss he pulled back and searched her eyes.

"Are you so sure that you won't miss this?" He said as he pressed his body firmly against hers.

"Of course I will miss it you great prat." Ginny said in exasperation as she maneuvered herself out from between the door and his body. "I just don't think it will be much of a punishment not to have it." She threw him a cheeky grin and was out the door before he thought to stop her.

}}

_You are mine._ The words echoed about in her head long after she had fled the room and the temptation it contained within its walls. He had not said them but then words like that always went unspoken. Nothing she did or said made any difference.

She closed her eyes and pulled her blankets over her head. The heavy fabric embraced her and she felt the tension of the day slowly drain from her figure. She knew she was provoking him but she could not help it. She was just so sick of being in the shadows.

Ginny heard the door to the room creak open and groaned. The other girls who shared her room would not bother her but she knew without a doubt that they had not been the ones who opened the door. If it had been them then the door would have slammed into the wall and the room would have filled with giggles and hushed whispers about this boy or that robe.

Instead there was only the sound of soft footsteps coming closer and closer to her bed. She felt a weight settle on one side of her and a gentle hand came to rest on her leg. She flipped down the covers and glared at the bushy haired girl sitting on the edge of her bed. Then she crawled over and put her head in the other girl's lap.

"Do you love him then?"

Ginny started at the barely audible words. She opened her mouth to demand how Hermione knew and then snapped it shut when she realized there was no way that she could.

"I am not sure." She said honestly. "He vexes me so much Mione. He makes me want to rip out my hair and throw a temper, but then he smiles and all I can think of his how right being with him seems. I know it is foolish, he never notices if I have on nice robes or if I have changed my hair, but still I dress nicely just for him.

I find myself standing in a hallway that I know he will be walking down or talking extra loud to a friend about my plans for the Yule Ball whenever he is close enough to overhear. I don't know if it is love. But whatever this emotion is it is strong.

I feel like I am drowning in him and I have no desire to save myself from doing so." She looked up into the earnest eyes of her friend and sighed. "What am I going to do?"

"Ginny I don't really have any advice for you." Hermione said as she ran her fingers through the long red hair resting on her lap. "All I can say is keep trying. I know he is interested in Cho right now but I am sure that one day soon he will realize what a blessing you are."

Ginny started sputtering and squirmed up. She felt her cheeks become flushed and she bit her lower lip as she contemplated her next move. She did not want to tell Hermione about Draco as it would be anything but pleasant, but she wanted to sit and listen to Hermione reassure her about Harry even less.

Hermione mistook the redness of Ginny's cheeks as confirmation of her theories and smiled pleasantly at proof that she was right. She reached out and squeezed her friend's hand.

"Don't worry Gin. If it is true love it will happen. Nothing stops true love. Not time, not space, not even the end of life. If it is meant to be then it will be. It might not be tomorrow; it might not even be for another fifteen years, but when the time is right things will fall into place." She wrapped Ginny in a tight hug and then pulled away. "It's time for dinner love. We had best be going."

"Is it really?" She asked with a sigh. Then she put on a fake smile and followed her friend out of the room.


	4. Fourth Year

Fourth Year

"What the devil were you thinking Gin!" Draco blustered as he pushed the girl deeper into his mattress. "A Bat-Bogey Hex I ask you." He kissed her laughing lips and ground his hips into hers.

Ginny pushed her breasts into his chest and grinned at the moan the motion tore from Draco's throat. She brought her lips to his neck and started kissing her way down to where his neck and shoulders met. She squirmed under him as he held her hands over her head and then nipped the rounded muscle of his upper arm. She bucked her hips into his and let her eyes do the talking while she marked his skin with her mouth.

"What am I going to do with you Gin?" He said before releasing her arms and bringing his hands to rest in the tangled web of her hair.

"Do with me? Why on earth would you want to do anything with me?" she asked with a sneer. "You know that you and I are firmly on opposite sides now."

"You cannot be serious Gin. You know as well as I do that…"

"Don't say it Malfoy." She said in a voice that border on dangerous. "We agreed not to let the outside world invade on what we have going. I don't want to hear you rail on about 'The Noble Cause' and you don't want to listen to me singing the praises of Perfect Potter and his lot."

"True."

"So let us leave the rhetoric outside along with our disdain for each other, humm?"

"Gin, you know I side with power. It is nothing personal." He gave a cocky little grin as he peered down into her steely brown eyes. He lowered his mouth to hers again and felt satisfaction well up in him as she gave a soft moan of pleasure.

He let himself drift amid the sensations she brought to him and had to force himself to pull away before things went too far. He stared at her reddened lips for a while trying to understand what it was about them that captivated him so. He watched as they parted slightly and took uncanny delight in the way they moved as her mouth formed words.

With his mind so engaged it took a tad bit longer than normal for those words to sink in.

"Pardon?" He asked though he knew what her reply would be. True to form, she rolled her eyes and then sighed.

"If you paid as much mind to the sounds my tongue produces as you do to the way it looks while doing so you would save us both a good deal of time and energy Malfoy."

"Ah, but then I would lose the thrill that seeing you vexed gives me. And we wouldn't want that to happen now would we dearest?"

She snorted and then repeated her damning words.

"Why do you feel the need to stop Malfoy?"

It was not so much what she said as the way she said it. Her innocent eyes stayed passive and not a single muscle was tense. Instead she lay beneath him as though what she had revealed meant not a thing.

"What have you done?" He hissed.

"Nothing more than what many others have."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he mind tore apart what she had said willing her words to have some other meaning.

"I don't believe you." He said finally. His mouth formed a semblance of a smile as his hands twisted tighter in her hair.

"Believe what you wish Malfoy, you always have." She said in that icy tone of hers. Her eyes fixed on his and widen slightly at the combination of anger and lust she found in them. Her breath hitched and she hesitated a moment before adding "Your opinion will not change the facts."

He snapped his eyes closed and willed himself to take hold over the emotions raging through him. _If she wants to play at being a whore then by all that is holy she will be treated as one!_ He thought viscously to himself. Then his right hand flew up the bottom of her skirt. He roughly pushed her knickers to one side and shoved a none to gentle finger deep into her. She let out an appalled gasp at the sensation which quickly turned to a moan of delight as he twisted it this way and that.

"Blessed hell Draco." She groaned.

Draco sucked in a breath at her use of his name and instantly pulled his hand from her. In spite of, or maybe because of, what his fingers could not find he did not want their first time to happen like this.

Then she let out a soft whimper at his abrupt removal of his finger and all his good intentions went up in flames.

His mind burned with a need to brand her as his. He might not be the first to have had her but damn it he was going to be the best. He let all rational thought be turned to ash by the heat of her body and stopped only long enough to wring a desperate yes out of her before giving in to what he had been craving since he first held her pressed against him two long years before.

* * *

He wanted to hold her afterwards, wanted her to acknowledge for one second that there was something more than the physical between them, but as always her answer was no. She just continued to pull on her skirt when he asked her to stay. Then she dropped an obligatory kiss on his cheek before she slid her arms into her robes and walked calmly from his room.

There had been a strange air about the events of that evening that had him wondering what it was he had missed. Draco did not know what it was about her that tugged at his mind but still it nagged at him. There was something he was tempted to call practiced in her manner, as if she were an actor playing a part without the conviction to make it seem probable. His mind combed over the details of the night trying to identify what it was that rang false but as of yet no red flag had been found.

He felt his brow furrow and ran a distracted hand through his hair. Nothing was working for him today. First he was dragged out of his bed bright and early by that vile Umbridge woman for "special duties" which translated into an hour and a half of him listening to her spew nonsense about the way the world should be while pretending to be entranced by her little girl airs.

Then he was pounced upon by Pansy and her group of simpering simpletons. He spent all of breakfast with her arms about his waist and her spiteful gossip filling his ears. Halfway through the meal he noticed his Gin with another man's arm draped casually over her shoulders and a silly little grin decorating her face. His food had instantly lost all taste.

Then there were classes which meant sitting through hours of Potter being babied and the one-sided completion between himself and Granger that he steadfastly refused to give up for lost even though he had never once come out ahead.

Lunch was spent scowling across the room as Gin laughed with her flavor of the week. Crabbe attempted to cheer him up with an accurate impersonation of ex-Professor Trelawney's face when she received her notice but somehow it paled in comparison to the sunny looks his girl was giving the flobberworm she was dating.

The rest of the day was a blur up to the point where she kissed him in the hall right before hitting him with the most impress hex he had seen from her to date.

It seemed only fitting that such a day would end like this. He lay alone in his bed and tried to ignore the feeling of loneliness that overtook him. She had given her virginity to another. No matter what he might think about witches' rights, he simply could not move past that fact.

* * *

Ginny didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She felt her belly tie itself into knots and put a hand to it as if the slight pressure would quell her regrets. Her eyes became distinctly dewy and she gave up all pretence about being happy with the way her plans had gone.

It was entirely his fault, really. If he had not been going on about how dreadfully boring sex with a virgin was she never would have thought there was anything wrong with her being one. But time after time he would moan about this girl lying still as a stick or that one crying over a little blood. During his rants she would laugh and say all the right things, but afterwards his spiteful words ate at her. When she realized that there was no one she could image herself having sex with other then him she knew she had to do something. And so she spent hour upon hour trapped in the library looking up any thing that even remotely mentioned a witch's virgin night. She had done her research well and all her hard work paid off in the form of an arcane spell meant to restore what had been lost.

With some help from an unknowing Hermione, Ginny had reworked the spell to give the illusion of a missing hymen instead of an intact one. For months before tonight she had worried that he might somehow detect what she had done, but the moment of truth had come and gone and he was none the wiser.

Now she was lying alone in her bed wondering if it had been worth it. She knew what she was doing when she cast the spell and she certainly knew how he would react, but still that did not keep her from casting it. She gave up on stifling the sobs and cast a silencing spell on her bed. Then she hid her face in the pillows and learned what regret was all about.


	5. Fifth Year

Fifth Year

"Are you mad?" Draco glared across the room at what he had once thought of as a rational girl. She glanced up at him then returned to studying the pages of the book in front of her. "I am being serious here Gin."

Ginny flipped her book closed and sighed. She knew she should not have told him. Every one she had asked about it, all two of them, had been adamantly against it, but her stubborn truthful streak could not be ignored and so she let the secret slip. She rolled her eyes while still safely facing away from him, then slowly sat up and turned to face what ever wrath her seemingly brilliant plan had brought down on her.

"It's very simple Malfoy. You needed a girlfriend and I needed someone I could semi-trust. So I picked Pansy. I told her what the rules would be and how everything should play out and she agreed. Then all that was left was to push you in her direction and there you have it." She crossed her legs and pulled her tumbled curls back from her face with her hands. Then she quirked her mouth and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You picked her? How cold blooded of you. And where did you think you would fit in after the rest of the school caught wind of my relationship with Pansy?" His tone was frosty and tinged with hostility.

"Where I had always been: in the shadows. Come on Malfoy even you have to admit that it worked perfectly. The whole of Hogwarts had the two of you married and producing evil little babies. And the beauty of it is that no one would ever think that someone as sweet and innocent as I am would poach on another girl's property." She let her hair drop back down and winked saucily at him.

"I am no woman's property Ginevra."

He bit the words out, his eyes flashing. Ginny blinked owlishly at him before shaking her head. She rose from the bed and walked to his side. After cocking her head to one side she smiled up at him and touched his cheek. She traced the line of his chin and then brought her fingers to his full lips.

"No one with a lick of sense would ever believe that you could be owned Malfoy." She drew back and narrowed her eyes at him. "All I am saying is that you and I were able to go on in the same way we always had without questions arising which would have been uncomfortable for both of us."

"I will grant you that." He caught her roaming fingers in his hand and brought it to his chest. "But you went too far Weasley. You assumed you could choose a woman for me and that I would just play along." He squeezed her wrist painfully and took a small amount of satisfaction in the way she endured it.

"Why does it even matter? It was ages ago. You have long since moved on and so has she. I only told you because you asked me last week why I was comfortable to be in the background of your life while another girl takes center stage."

"Next time I will think about what I am asking before I voice it."

"You do that. Now if you don't mind," She pulled free from his grasp and walked back to his bed. She bent over and started to collect her books and papers. "I think I should be going now."

"Going where Gin? You know you told a number of little white lies to get this hour free. Who else would you spend it with if not me? You know that Blaise and Millie are busy with each other and even you cannot relish the idea of spending what little free time you have with Numbskull Neville."

Ginny whirled on him her eyes flashing.

"What makes you so sure Malfoy? You know I enjoy his company far more than any other boy I associate with. And that includes you, your royal nastiness." She marched up to him and jabbed him sharply in the chest. "I have made my stance on Neville clear from day one. You are to leave him the bloody hell alone and if you do not then I will no longer be as willing as I now am to service your ruddy needs."

"Service my needs?" He said with a scoff.

"Would you rather I sully it up some? How does 'I won't be fucking you' sound?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep Gin." He said with a warning in his voice. His eyes were narrowing now and it was all he could do not to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into that stubborn head of hers. Could she not see that the last thing he needed was to be fixed up with a witch?

"Malfoy, you silly little prig, do you really fancy yourself to be that great of a lover?" She gave a cold little laugh and shook her head in disbelief. "When will you learn that nothing you do in there" she gestured to the bed "will ever matter a wit when we are out of it?"

Draco stared at her. He didn't want believe that she was as detached as she lead him to think she was, but a nagging voice in the back his mind wouldn't let him ignore her words. Ginny watched him standing there with his mouth gaping open and felt something tug in her stomach. She couldn't help the bemused smile that tugged at her lips as she sauntered over to him.

"Don't look so vulnerable Malfoy" she all but cooed. "It's doesn't suit you." She snickered as his mouth snapped into a sneer.

Draco was unbalanced by her blasé attitude towards him and felt a twitch start up in his cheek. She didn't understand. She couldn't possible realize… He broke off his train of thought and gave a throaty chuckle. She silenced it with a kiss. He wrapped his hands in her hair and moaned into her cunning mouth. He was surprised when she broke away. Normally a kiss like that lead to frantic fumbling and a distinct lack of oxygen, not to her calmly pulling away and patting her hair back into place.

"I don't need you." She said. Her eyes didn't meet his and somehow he knew that meant something important. "I love what we do together, really I do, but I don't need you any more than you need me." Her lips quirked up bitterly at that and Draco had the distinct impression it had hurt her to say that.

He opened his mouth to tell her that she must need him very badly indeed if her needs mirrored his, but she had taken advantage of his momentary distraction to undo the buttons of her shirt and the sight of her breasts peeking out at him from the scrap of lace she called a bra was too much for his hormone driven mind to overlook.

* * *

Alone in his bed later that night he replayed the events of the day, trying to make sense of it all. She told him she wanted nothing more than to play a minor part in his life, and then ranted about how she hated it. She said she didn't want sex from him, and then utterly seduced him. She claimed that all she wanted him was his body, then told him that his body wouldn't be enough to keep her entertained much longer. And that last bit terrified him.

He knew that she had long since become an integral part of him life, that he had come to rely on her in so many areas that he could not picture how he would be able to get on without her there. But she didn't seem to feel the same way about him. She had given him a look that told him she thought he was dirt and there was nothing he would ever be able to do that would change that.

He scanned his memories for any hint of what was going on in her twisted brain, but all he could focus on what the pain in her eyes when she said she didn't need him and the lie in her kiss that made him what to call things off all together.


	6. Sixth Year

AN: This was published as Posion a long time ago. It belongs here.

Sixth Year

She stood in front of the mirror and stared at what she saw reflected in it. Her hair was tousled and her lips swollen. Her eyes were half lidded, her skin was a smooth alabaster marred by patches of red. She touched one and flinched as the pressure stung the raw flesh. Her gaze shifted from her image to the room behind her.

The bed was a tangle of sheets and covers. The dark green of the satin stood out in stark contrast to the golden hued skin of the man therein contained. Her eyes narrowed as she let them skim over his sleeping form. Perfection. She sighed and turned away from the mirror.

The floor was littered with articles of clothing. She bit her lip as she tried to remember what had been tossed where but her memories of the previous night focused only on the sensations he had sent through her as they were removed and not on what he had done with them afterwards. A few minuets of searching later she spotted her bra under a chair and her knickers balled up beside it.

She bent to scoop up her undergarments and stopped halfway down when she heard him calling out her name. She straightened and faced the bed, her body tingling at the sound of it. There was something insidious about the way her name fell from his lips. No matter how many times she heard it she still fell prey to its lure.

He had pushed himself to sitting and was glaring at her in a manner that boded ill for her. She winced at his bored expression as his eyes roamed over her body. He smiled and she shuddered. Long acquaintance with his moods had taught her only too well what that seemingly sweet expression meant. He patted the bed next to him and she reluctantly obeyed.

"I have to go. It's after one and you know I need to be in my bed when they wake."

His smile went feral. She clamped her mouth shut but it was too late. He reached over and ran his hand down her side. She trembled as she tried to stifle a moan. Silently she cursed her traitorous body and the sensuous web her lover had caught her in. She stared vacantly at him while his hands traced the path his eyes had taken just moments before.

She could stay for another hour at most. She had no choice but to be in her bed sound asleep when the morning came and two of her roommates were early risers. This meant that she had to take her leave of him before three am every night in order to maintain the illusion that she was everything she ought to be.

He knew this as well but knowing did not mean accepting and so each night they fought an unspoken battle. If she tried to leave too soon things would get downright nasty. His definition of 'too soon' kept getting later and she was well aware that sometime in the near future things would reach a head. She let her eyelids flutter shut as thoughts of what was surely to come filled her mind.

"Ginny."

He said it again and fire ran through her veins. She licked lips gone dry and murmured something soothing. She felt his hands move up to her breasts. She gave a slight moan as he circled her nipples with his calloused fingertips and her eyes flew open when he pinched each one in turn. It was painful enough to cause tears to well up in her eyes but with the pain came an equal amount of pleasure.

It was all a game to him.

No matter how much she wanted it to be more she knew it was not. Some things just were not meant to be and this was one of them. She let a little bit of the resentment she felt show and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath. She curved her lips into a semblance of a smile as prey became predator.

"Yes Malfoy."

Her voice was tinged with distaste and mocking. Something flashed in his steely eyes in response to it but was gone so quickly she could not decipher what it had been. She felt an icy pain in the center of her chest and went numb inside as she leaned into his touch.

This was not right.

It had not been for so long now that she would not remember what it was that had interested her in him to begin with. She mentally snorted. Had she really reached the point where she needed to lie to herself to make it all better? Surely she was not yet that far gone. Soon though. The thought snaked through her like poison.

His face was so close to hers now that she could feel his breath on her lips. The faint traces of it tickled her mouth and made her smile instinctively. She was drawn to him. There was nothing about him that did not attract her in some small way. His face was a picture of noble birth, his body a tribute to the wonder that was quidditch. His slightly roughened fingers never failed to send shivers down her spine and his tongue and teeth were always put to the best use possible.

As she opened her mouth to ready herself for his kiss her mind reared back. 'This was not what I have been raised for' it screamed. She was no man's mistress; she was not the sort of girl one played around with. Her mother had drummed into her head what was expected of her and being the paramour of the son of her father's nemesis was not it. But her body paid her brain no mind.

She wanted his touch.

She wanted it far more than even he knew. That was the root of the problem. At the start of this his arms had been one of the few places that she found happiness. Now that was no where near true. She reviled in the pleasure and pain, she lapped up the jaded comments and the snide remarks, but nothing he did made her happy. At least not the mind numbing sort of joy that he use to give her from an honest smile.

He pulled back with a puzzled expression on his face. He raised a hand and brushed a strand of hair out of her face while she continued to stare at him. He opened his mouth as if to say something then thought better of it and snapped it shut again. He cocked his head to the side and gave her a schoolboy's smile. Its practiced innocence cut her in ways that his cold sneer never could.

"I love the way you look after I've had you." He smirked at her startled expression and bent his head to nuzzle at her neck. "God Gin, no one does it for me quite like you." He bit down hard on the spot where her neck joined with her shoulders and drew blood. He sucked gently at the wound for a long moment then kissed it and pulled away.

"I have to go."

His eyes flashed again at her flat words.

"Fuck that."

She was surprised at the amount of venom in his tone. They had an unofficial agreement between them that when she said it was time for the night's entertainments to end he let her go without a fuss.

"I'm sick of this Gin. What are you afraid of? No one notices you. I know for a fact that the only time anyone pays any mind to you at all is when you are of some use to them. Who did you think will miss you if you aren't in bed? Your roomies will just assume you woke early. They aren't your friends; they won't care that you did not wait to walk down with them. The only person who will think anything is off at all will be Neville, and he already knows where you spend your nights."

The last sentence was said in a barely contained roar and she paled slightly at the sound of it.

"Stop playing like you are a good girl mistress mine. You know as well as I that any claim you had to that titled ended a good two years ago when you first snuck into my bed." He gave a chilling laugh and captured her lips again.

The kiss was painful, all tongue and teeth, but it stirred her still. She let him push her back into the pillows knowing that something fundamental had changed between them. This relationship had never been a meeting of equals but it had also never put one partner's preferences before the other. Now it appeared that Draco was being given the upper hand. She willed her eyes to stay dry as yet another link in the chain that bound her to him was formed.

She felt him side into her with a force he typically avoided. She wrapped her legs around his back and begged him to make it hurt. He grunted at her words and threw back his head. She ran a hand down his back, her nails grazing him hard enough to leave vivid red marks. He growled something possessive and she felt a piece deep inside of her snap. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him move above her. She frowned as the frantic pounding increased and mentally assessed the way she should have been feeling right then. Whatever her reaction was it defiantly should not have been the bored detachment she was experiencing. A second later he shifted his hips and the new sensation sent waves of satisfaction through her. She felt her eyes roll back as the intense pleasure of it sucked her down.

When it was over he rolled off her and pulled her limp body close to his. His arms tightened around her as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Gin?"

The question was not voiced but she knew what it was anyway.

"I'll stay Malfoy."

His hands squeezed hers for a moment then he released them and raised himself onto one arm. He looked down at her in a way that caused her breath to catch. There was something there, something that caused the anger and possessive rage she saw clearly in his eyes.

"What happened yesterday? You left lunch early and did not meet us after dinner. Blaise and Millie told me not to worry so I didn't, but something has clearly gotten under your skin." She ran a finger down his chest and laughed as he swatted at it.

"Be still woman or I won't answer your question." She laughed again as he started tracing patterns in her freckles. "I just found out what the surprise my mother kept going on about is. Nothing of great import really, just that they have decided on a suitable wife for me."

"What!" She reared up from the bed and shoved him down into the mattress. She swung a leg over his body and settled herself quite comfortable on his hips. "Now see here Mr. Malfoy that is hardly 'nothing of great import'! I want all the facts and I want them now." She rocked her hips suggestively and snickered at his body's reaction.

"If you insist"

"Which I do."

"Do not interrupt me. As I was saying, my parents have signed a binding agreement with the parents of the girl in question and the betrothal period has begun. I now have two or three years, give or take, to woo said strumpet before the magic of the contract takes effect and we are compelled to marry."

"Humm, seems fairly straightforward to me. Any luck finding out the girl's name?" She punctuated the sentence with a grinding movement and gave a satisfied little smile at the distracted look on his face.

"Pardon? Gin, will you stop that?"

"I said what is her name, and no, I won't." She bent her head and licked his nipple before swiftly twitching her hips and burying him to the hilt inside of her. She slid slowly back to sitting and all but purred at the choked sound that accompanied her movement. "Come to think of it, maybe I will."

"Bloody hell Gin, when did you get so evil?"

"The name Malfoy."

"Greengrass. I forget what the chit's first name is. Bit of a slag though, if what Blaise says about her is true. Not at all what I would have picked, but then that was the idea. Now can we please get on with the matter at hand."

It was not a question and so she did not treat it as one. Instead she focused on driving the aching hurt away the only way she knew how. She pushed the knowledge of his impending marriage to the back of her mind and placed it next to the dust covered fear that she just might have fallen in love. She closed her eyes as she moved over him and her tears mixed with the sweat on his chest.


	7. Seventh Year

Seventh Year

"This isn't why I came here." Ginny muttered to herself as she pulled her skirt up over her hips.

She turned to the side and started to zip it shut when a hand reached out and grabbed her bare leg. She gave the zipper one last tug and then swatted at the hand that was making its way north. The hand evaded her and a laugh followed the yelp of pain she made when her own flesh felt the sting of the slap.

"Of course this is what you came for mistress mine." Draco said as he peered at her rapidly disappearing back. "We meet every weekend you have free." He smirked and then added, "And some you do not."

Ginny snorted as she slid her arms into her robe and turned to look at the still naked man draped across the hotel's roomy bed. She put a hand to her stomach self-consciously and frowned at the news she knew she must tell him.

Draco noticed the frown and sneered. She had been acting strange for over a month now and he had a nagging fear that he knew what was coming next. They had been together unofficially for just over seven years, well past the time he thought he would have broken things off and the two of them would have gone their separate ways. He never worried that she would leave but now he felt like he should have.

She glared at him again.

He did not remember when that had started happening either. Something inside of him cringed at the sign of her obvious displeasure. He licked his lips and put a saucy expression on his face. Her eyes went sleek and half lidded and for a second he thought it worked. Then she rolled her eyes at him and stalked over to an armchair.

"We need to talk Malfoy." Her voice was emotionless and her eyes were dead.

Draco pushed himself into a sitting position and lazily pulled the sheets up to his waist. He watched her carefully, waiting to see the familiar lust darkening her eyes, and disappointment shot through him when it failed to happen.

"Then talk." His voice was gruffer then he meant it to be with fear and worry clearly shading ever syllable.

"Things are… Well that is to say…"

Ginny fumbled for the words to tell him how horribly wrong the events of the last month had been. She wanted share how terrified she had been when she had missed her period and how excited she felt when the medi-witch told her she was carrying twins. She longed to show him the picture of the babies she had been given and talk about names; she lay in bed at night and dreamed that they would have a perfect little family and a perfect little life.

In her dreams it did not matter that he was a Malfoy and she was a Weasley. Her family welcomed him with open arms and his called off the engagement to that vile Greengrass girl. She pictured what life would be like in a perfect world; he would do things like hold her hand in public and kiss her still flat belly in the confines of their bedroom. He would say things just to make her laugh and smile into her eyes as he told her he loved her.

But Ginny was smart enough to know that none of that would ever happen. He was who he was and she would never deny her heritage, no matter how much she wanted to get on her knees in front of him and beg him to love her just a little, just enough for her to throw said family and friends over the side and live her life as the mistress he always called her.

Draco watched the emotions run across her face as the fear took root in his belly. She was upset about something. Something she knew he wouldn't like. Something she did not want to say but knew she had to. He saw the moment she made up her mind to say it anyway and realized in that instant that he could not take the rejection he was sure was coming.

"Look Gin," he said in his most patronizing tone, "if we are done with," he gestured towards the bed, "then you had better go."

She stiffened, all thoughts of trying to lessen the blow leaving her. Her eyes flashed and she pulled a sneer so like his that Draco involuntarily pulled back.

"Sod off Malfoy."

"Oh that one hurt Weasel. God, you can't think of anything new can you? You have been saying that line since you were a first year."

"I don't know why I even bother with you." It was said with no emotion at all and cut him like nothing else ever had. Draco reacted without conscious thought.

"Trying to get a little taste of class Gin, you know that's why you want me. Same as why I am drawn to you. I just keep hoping I get my fill of trash before I get married and start my family."

The viciousness of it brought her to the brink of tears. Ginny bit her lip and started at him with all the love and hate that she felt written for the entire world to see on her face. The two emotions warred until slowly the love faded.

"Funny, that's what I always thought about you." She forced a laugh before flipping her hair over her shoulders and standing. "I really should be going now Malfoy." She reached for her bag, not even bothering to fix a fake smile on her lips.

"When will I see you next Gin?"

"Pardon?"

"You heard me witch."

Draco forced himself to remain calm. They had many a nasty fight before and nothing had come of it other than a few hurt feelings and some outstanding makeup sex. But this time it was different. When she looked at him he saw only a bored detachment and nothing of the passions that had always flowed between them.

"Well honestly! I thought I had made myself clear."

"When will I see you next Gin?" There was desperation in his voice that would have swayed her if not for the knowledge that she had something other than her own wants to worry about now.

"I didn't think I would have to spell it out for you Malfoy, but I guess you are slower than I thought." She touched a finger to her lips as she considered her wording. "I found you interesting. I was intrigued by all the questions in you. I loved watching you lurch between a good little puppet and someone worth knowing." She gave a tight laugh. "I will be the first to admit that it was fun. We had a few good times and some really great sex. But I am getting a little old for that sort of thing now, don't you think?"

"You are mine" Draco hissed between clenched teeth. "I claimed you as mine from the moment I kissed you."

"I have told you from the first time you made that foolish declaration that I belong to someone else. And since Harry was so good as to get rid of Tommy for me I have been my own master." She gave him a cruel little smile. "Do you really think I would let a petty little boy like you control me? Grow up Malfoy."

He was out of the bed in a flash. He slammed her it the wall with a force that knocked the breath out of her. His eyes were like shards of glass and his hands bit cruelly into her flesh. He attempted to press his mouth possessively to hers but she turned her face at the last minute and all he got was a mouthful of hair. He pulled back and stared at her, trying to make sense of the blank looks she was giving him.

"Malfoy…"

He cut her off with a hard shake. "The name is Draco, Gin. I haven't been a Malfoy to you for quite sometime." He smiled wryly. "If I had been then you wouldn't be so foolish as to think you can just walk away from this."

"Stop being such a drama queen _Draco,_" she sneered.

"Why now Gin? What happened that suddenly made you realize you no longer want what only I can give you?"

Ginny closed her eyes for a second and contemplated telling him about the babies. Then she had a flash of insight; Draco would never break his contract. He had proven to her time and again that when push came to shove he would do as he was told. He might enjoy her and take great pleasure in her company, but there was no way he would jeopardize his future for her. So she told him as close to the truth as she could go without telling him the whole of it.

"I want a decent home for my children. I want to be able to walk arm and arm with their father down the main street in broad daylight without having to worry about what might happen because of it. I want a two story modest sort of house in a good wizard neighborhood where everyone knows each other and the kids run wild in the streets without fear."

Her features softened as she let herself relive the life she very much wanted with him one last time. She smiled as she pictured the things she now knew would never happen: the look on his face when the babies were born; the sound of his laughter on a steamy summer night; the way he would rock his son to sleep and the silly stories he would tell his daughter to make her feel better when she was frightened. All the many complicated fictions she had happily dreamed up in the last month slowly made their way through her mind. When the last one had been purged she felt a sense of calm come over her.

"Gin." It was wistful, filled with his longing to share more of himself with her. Then his face hardened and his tone became hateful. "Nothing was ever good enough for you, was it? You just had to have more. I gave you all that I could, every bit of me that was mine to hand over was yours for the taking and still you were not satisfied. I humbled myself so much for you, let you date other boys and didn't say one word about the manner in which you came to me.

You cold hearted little cunt! I should have known you would do this! Father always told me not to waste my time on those who are below me and now I see why. You should have been grateful; you should have been at my feet."

He reached out to touch her face and she flinched. Something inside of him snapped at the sight of her fear. Did she honestly not know how much she meant to him? Could she possibly still think of what they had was based on sex?

"Don't touch me Malfoy."

She shrugged off his embrace and shoved him away from her. She felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest as she calmly walked towards the bed. She knew she had to ask, that she would hate herself forever if she didn't, but she was frightened of what his answer might be. She closed her eyes and reached deep inside of herself to find the courage to do it.

"Malfoy, have you ever considered what it would be like to have a family with me?"

Her voice is as emotionless as can be; her eyes burned with something too close to longing for her to admit and she bit her lower lip while she waited for his reply. She watched as the surprise gives way to suspicion and frowned slightly as his eyes narrow.

"Why would I ever do something as pointless as that Gin?" His tone is mild and not meant to hurt, but his words cut her deeply and the pain of it colored her thoughts.

"Forget it Malfoy." She said with a sigh. "I don't know why I ever thought you were any thing more than a Daddy's boy."

He glared at her wanting badly to tell her she was wrong. But instead he said nothing. He knew she was right. If she walked out today it really didn't matter. They had fights as often as other couples snogged. So he let her go, secure in the knowledge that this time next week they would be content with each other again.

It wasn't until a month later that he realized she was gone for good.

Fin

Be sure to read Every Story Has Two Sides to find out what happens to our young lovers.


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